🍱 Sake Manju (Sake Steamed Buns)

The Toho region, composed of Takeda City and Bungo-ono City in the southwestern part of Oita Prefecture, is surrounded by the Zaozan Range, Aso Caldera, and Kuju Mountains, with Miyazaki and Kumamoto Prefectures neighboring across the mountains. "Sake Manju" is a regional confection enjoyed during summer events in the Toho region. Its unique feature is its expansion due to fermentation powered by rice koji. While typically filled with sweet red bean paste, versions without filling are known as "shiira," "shiemochi," "shieppo" in the Toho region, and "bappo" in the southern part of the prefecture.